Larix Volans - flight 1

The flight went very well - it was straight and smooth, delay was timed exactly for apogee, and the main ejected and opened perfectly.

Unfortunately, the wind picked up a bit during descent and the rocket drifted over the gravel parking area, where it struck some large gravel fin-point-first. That fin had some cracked epoxy joints, but remained firmly attached (no wiggle, no signs of internal damage). The body was cosmetically damaged in several places.

Repairs

The fin joints were repaired on 2019-03-15. They old epoxy was ground down to the body tube/fin junction all along and slightly past the extent of the cracks in the epoxy. The newly exposed parts of the fins and body tube were inspected for damage - there was no additional damage.

The joint area was re-sanded with 120 grit to ensure a good bond between the body tube, fin, and existing epoxy. The area was then cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and new epoxy fillets were made (using DevCon 2-Ton - to match the original epoxy used).

The paint was sanded beyond the joint area to aid in blending a bit, it was masked, and then painted. Several coats of clear gloss were added for continued protection.